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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. club — a group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — music
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kid — child
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — a weight
  21. swing — to play on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. club — for golf
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com